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''Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' is a 1982 American science fiction horror film. The film is the third installment in the ''Halloween'' franchise and notable for being the only entry in the series that does not feature the fictional character Michael Myers, nor does it include story elements from either ''Halloween'' (1978) or ''Halloween II'' (1981). It is the first film to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of ''Halloween'', returned as producers. The film stars Tom Atkins as Dr. Dan Challis, Stacey Nelkin as Ellie Grimbridge, and Dan O'Herlihy as Conal Cochran. The story focuses on an investigation by Challis and Grimbridge into the activities of Cochran, the mysterious owner of the Silver Shamrock Novelties company, in the week approaching Halloween night. ''Halloween III'' departs from the slasher genre which the first two installments were part of, instead featuring a "witchcraft" theme with science fiction aspects and parallels to old Celtic fairy tales. Carpenter and Hill believed that the ''Halloween'' series had the potential to branch into an anthology series of horror movies that take place around Halloween with each film containing its own characters, setting, and storyline. The director of ''Halloween III'', Tommy Lee Wallace, stated there were many ideas for Halloween-themed horror films as part of a long anthology series, starting with ''Season of the Witch''. However, after ''Halloween IIIs disappointing critical reception and box-office gross, Michael Myers was brought back six years later in ''Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'' (1988). The frequency of graphic violence and gore is less than that of ''Halloween II'', but the film's death scenes remain intense. As with other films in the series, suspense and dramatic tension is a key theme. The dramatic element of violence against young children, something often taboo even for horror films, is explored. Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, ''Halloween III'' grossed $14.4 million at the box office in the United States,〔''Halloween III'' at (BoxOfficeMojo.com ).〕 making it the poorest performing film in the ''Halloween'' series at the time.〔''Halloween'' Franchise Box Office Records at (BoxOfficeMojo.com ).〕 In addition to weak box office returns, most critics gave the film negative reviews. One critic suggests that if ''Halloween III'' was not part of the ''Halloween'' series, then it would simply be "a fairly nondescript eighties horror flick, no worse and no better than many others."〔Jim Harper, ''Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies'' (Manchester, Eng.: Critical Vision, 2004), p. 103, ISBN 1-900486-39-3.〕 Some cultural and film historians have read significance into the film's plot, linking it to criticism of large corporations and American consumerism. Despite an initially negative reception for the film, largely due to fan disappointment over the absence of Michael Myers, re-evaluation over the past three decades has given ''Halloween III'' new legions of fans and established its reputation as a standalone cult film. ==Plot== On Saturday, October 23, 1982, shop owner Harry Grimbridge (Al Berry) runs along a barren stretch of road in Northern California. A vehicle containing mysterious figures in business suits is chasing him. Grimbridge is attacked by one of the mysterious figures but escapes after his assailant is crushed by a rolling vehicle. Grimbridge flees, finally collapsing at a gas station clutching a Silver Shamrock jack-o'-lantern mask. He is driven to the hospital by station attendant Walter Jones (Essex Smith), all the while ranting, "They're going to kill us. They're going to kill us all." At the hospital, Grimbridge is placed in the care of Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins). That night, while Grimbridge sleeps, another mysterious man in a suit enters Grimbridge's hospital room and kills him, then goes to his car and immolates himself. The next morning, Grimbridge's daughter, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin) arrives to identify her father's remains. Ellie and Challis agree to investigate Harry's murder, leading them to the small town of Santa Mira, California, home of the Silver Shamrock Novelties factory. The motel manager (Michael Currie) describes the source of the town's prosperity: Irishman Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy) and his factory, which produces wildly popular whole head latex masks for Halloween. While signing the motel register, Challis learns that Ellie's father stayed at the same motel. Other motel guests include shop owners Marge Guttman (Garn Stephens) and Buddy Kupfer (Ralph Strait), Buddy's wife Betty (Jadeen Barbor) and their son Little Buddy (Bradley Schacter). All have business at the factory. Guttman finds a microchip affixed to the back of the Silver Shamrock logo on one Halloween mask. She recklessly pokes it with a hair pin, causing an electrical discharge. Guttman's face is badly disfigured by the accident, and an insect crawls from her shattered mouth. She quickly dies. Challis and Ellie are awakened by the sound of vehicles and learn of Guttman's accident. Challis attempts to help but is forced away by a group of emotionless men dressed in lab coats. The next morning Challis and Ellie tour the factory with the Kupfers and are alarmed to discover Grimbridge's car there, guarded by more men dressed in suits. They return to the motel but cannot contact anyone outside the town. While Challis attempts to phone for the authorities, Ellie is kidnapped by the men in suits and driven to the factory. Challis pursues them, breaks into the factory, and discovers that the men in suits are androids created by Cochran. Challis is captured by the androids and Cochran reveals his plan: when children wearing the popular masks view his television commercial on Halloween night, they will die as sacrifices to the Old Gods, bringing about a resurrection of the ancient age of witchcraft. The masks contain microchips, each containing a fragment of Stonehenge. A signal in the commercial activates the chips, summoning a lethal swarm of insects and snakes to kill the mask wearer and anyone nearby. To demonstrate, Cochran forces the Kupfers to wear masks and plays the commercial. Challis escapes through a ventilation shaft and rescues Ellie. They destroy the factory before fleeing the town, killing Cochran, his employees and destroying the computer chips. As they drive away, Ellie attacks Challis, and he swerves the vehicle into a tree. "She" is an android duplicate, and Challis decapitates it with a tire iron. Challis returns on foot to the filling station and desperately attempts to phone the television stations, convincing all but one to not broadcast the commercial. Challis screams at the person on the other end of the line as the commercial begins to play on the television behind him. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Halloween III: Season of the Witch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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